Martha the Passenger Pigeon is no longer on display on the first floor of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. According to tipster and Martha fan Sharon Sweet: "They are in the process of renovating the bird section and currently have no plans to return Martha to display in the near future. Apparently they now have the birds of Washington D.C. on display."

Sharon reports the curator at the museum believed it would be better to have Martha off display for a while, since she wasn't really kept in optimum conditions regarding lighting and climate control. We join Sharon in her hope that new technologies will allow Martha to return to public view.

In the meantime, you can still visit a pair of extinct, stuffed Passenger Pigeons in Texas -- "the last two," according to guide Texas Bob. They're under glass at San Antonio's Buckhorn Museum, where you can drink a tall beer while pondering extinction. [10/13/2002]

November 26, 2009